


POWERLESS

by heatherpeters



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-30 20:50:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5179172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heatherpeters/pseuds/heatherpeters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an AU story and takes place after episode 5 of Season 3 (Arioch Cane). Red leaves Lizzie in Mr. Kaplan's capable hands and heads to his apartment in Bethesda after the harrowing day of nearly losing Lizzie. But as he enters his apartment, he is surprised to find that he is not alone............</p>
            </blockquote>





	POWERLESS

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cress26](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cress26/gifts), [Thank you dear friend](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Thank+you+dear+friend), [Birgit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birgit/gifts).



> I do not own The Blacklist or its characters.

Raymond Reddington had never been so grateful to see a day end.

A day where he’d nearly lost her. Again.

A day that saw him kill a seemingly trusted associate, and at the same time, get Dembe back, wounded, but thankfully, alive.

A day he’d nearly lost his own life, but Red had learned through the years that living in the moment was the only way to maintain his sanity. That said sanity had clearly been in question after coming so close to losing Lizzie again. When those men put their hands on her, when Solomon’s knife skimmed her body, something unleashed a fury inside him, a rage so white hot, it was a wonder that he didn’t suffer a heart attack. Solomon would pay dearly for touching her.

Satisfied that Dembe was being cared for in a secret place of his choosing, all Red carved at this moment was a strong glass of his favorite scotch, a little Dizzie Gillespie on his stereo, and a hot shower. 

Making his way up the three flights of rickety stairs of his apartment to his aged sanctuary in Bethesda, Red allowed himself to take a deep cleansing breath for the first time today. He approached his destination, then slid and turned the key in the lock. Opening the door, he stopped dead in his tracks when practiced instinct flooded him like an ocean wave.

Someone was here.

The hair on his arms stood on end, and years of expert intuition kicked into place. Now what? He thought. He knew that no one had knowledge of this place; it was too secure.

Suddenly the thought of Solomon, and what had transpired in the plane hangar just hours before, crashed through his mind. Thinking back on what that scum did to Lizzie: Touching her body with a knife, holding her down, the threat to both of them had been too real. Red had no concern for himself at that second, but he would not die, not today.

He closed his eyes, sucked in a long breath of air, then drew his gun from his back holster.

Whoever had entered his space, would live to regret it.

********

Cautiously, Red entered the apartment, gun locked, loaded and ready for trouble. What happened next, however, caused him to lower his weapon. Slowly he turned, closed and locked the door.

Lizzie was here.

Her scent, a combination of wild flowers and something that was uniquely Elizabeth, reached him as he threw his hat on the small sofa. What was she doing here? Since the day they met, his innate senses were on high alert when Lizzie was near.

“Red, is that you?”

Red followed the sound of her voice, a voice that after today, he thought never to hear again. Between those few seconds of terror, first suffered at the hands of invisible assassins when his transport team had been shot shielding her, coupled with the nightmare that was Solomon and his men, her voice at this second called to him like a beloved piece of music.

Recalling those few precious seconds when she’d returned to the car, proclaimed her fear, then throwing herself in his arms, Red allowed himself to smile. Her closeness, the heaven that was felt when Lizzie turned to him for comfort, made Red feel alive, and filled with love for her. Only her.

“Yes.” He answered, making his way to her.

She was in his bedroom.

Unblinking, he’d realized that she’d showered, and wore only one of his t-shirts, no slacks, no socks or shoes. He swallowed hard, realizing she wore no bra, and a scrap of black lace resembling panties peaked out from the hem of his shirt. He began to sweat.

Blonde waves were still damp as she stood in front of the floor to ceiling sheer curtained window. A vision in the dimness of the room, the only light coming from the full October moon that outlined her slender body from behind.

He stood at the doorway, his mouth dry, still surprised and shocked that she was here, in his apartment, his bedroom.

“Lizzie,” his voice a raspy whisper. God he needed that drink. “What are you doing here? You were supposed to leave with Mr. Kaplan. You should be at the safe house. You know how dangerous it is to be here.”

She shook her head. “I can’t be any safer than here, with you.” There was something different about her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Maybe that was because he was hoping for something that he dare not wish for. Something he did not deserve. Her.

Red’s hands trembled for the second time that day, as her alluring smile nearly brought him to his knees.They stood on opposite sides of the room, but the air was rife with tension. This should not be happening. 

“Lizzie, what are you doing--?”

She walked toward him, her long waves shone golden in the moonlight, her legs, long and naked, her blue eyes held him captive with their intensity.

“We need to talk, Red. Please hear me out. But first, I think we could both use a drink. I have a lot to say, and I feel if we can relax for a bit, the words will come a little easier. Please, Red.”

Nodding slightly and finding himself completely powerless in her presence, especially seeing her half naked, Red turned to the crystal decanter on the nearby antique dresser he’d purchased from a rundown little shop in Paris. His resourceful Lizzie must have found two glasses. He poured them each an ample portion of the amber liquid, then handed her a glass, their fingers touching. Without losing eye contact, he clinked his glass to hers, and took a healthy swallow. Why wasn’t he telling her go? Why didn’t he call Mr. Kaplan and blast her for letting Lizzie come here?  
“Before you blame Mr. Kaplan, I explained to her than I wouldn’t leave your sight until you called her to come get me. She knows I’m here, I didn’t fool her or sneak away. It’s not her fault, ok?”

Red nodded. Volatile, unpredictable, soft, hard, then soft again….

“Okay Lizzie, but let’s talk in the living room….I’ll put on some music, make us some dinner – “

“No, we’ll talk here, on the bed. I have a lot to say, and I want to say it before I lose my nerve. Red, after what happened today, I know I’m still in danger, but I also know that you are there for me, that you’ve always been there for me. Please, Red?”

Red could deny her nothing, so he nodded and followed her to the bed. She settled on one side, he, on the other. Arguing with her would do no good. Elizabeth Scott Keen was the strongest, most resilient woman he’d ever known, and if she wanted to talk, who was he to deny her? Besides, knowing she was with him here, he could keep her safe….for now.

The room was not overly large, just big enough for his antique cherry wood king sized bed topped with heavy blankets, along with a matching triple dresser that held his clothes, and topped with a healthy stack of hard covered first editions by his favorite authors. Red struggled to tamp down his arousal, which was becoming increasingly difficult. But she wanted to talk, and he’d devote his undivided attention to her no matter how it pained him. 

He managed a smile, took a large swallow to empty his glass, and felt the burn of the liquor slide down his throat to his stomach. Placing the empty crystal glass on the nearby night stand, then nodded. “What is it you want to say, Lizzie?” 

She took a tiny sip of scotch, inhaled deeply, then placed her glass on her bedside table, a tiny smile curving her beautiful lips. “Thank you, Red.”

He bit the inside of his cheek and tilted his head to the side. “You know that your safety is the most important thing in the world to me.” Seeing her smirk, and remembering that night in the car after the Earl King affair, he knew what she wanted to hear. “You’re welcome.”

She slid closer to him on the large bed, and Red realized now that their bodies were so close, he could smell the liquor on her breath, the clean scent of her body, the smell of her hair, like flowers on a spring day.

He wanted her. God help him, he wanted her more than he wanted his next breath. But she wanted to talk, and he wouldn’t stop her now. He realized she’d been through hell and back today. What could she possibly want to say? That once again he killed people? That once more, he put her life in jeopardy? What if she was really here just to remind him that he was a monster?

No, no, she wasn’t going to do that. She was here, on his bed, dressed in his shirt, drinking and smiling and touching him. No, Lizzie wanted to be here, with him. 

“Red,” she took his hand in hers and squeezed. “After what we both went through today, I can’t keep silent any longer. I need to tell you how I feel, and I think we have to talk, because who knows what could happen tomorrow?”

Lizzie’s whispery tone, a mixture of sincerity and seduction, hypnotized him. He gazed straight into her eyes, and was instantly aware of her fierce determination. Thinking back on the hug they shared in the car, he just nodded, but didn’t speak. It was up to her now, to reveal what he had always hoped for. That she felt as he did.

He held his breath, as she continued.

“Red, we owe it to ourselves to be close, especially now, tonight. Maybe I’ve been confused, and too scared to realize how deep my feelings for you really are. It wasn’t Tom who was there for me, he never was. I know that now. Since the day we met, you have been my anchor, my port in a storm, my savior…..and my…. sin eater. I think you know what I’m saying.”

Red was humbled by her words. This beautiful woman had come to the conclusion that they should be together. Red knew what he wanted. He’d wanted her almost from the beginning. From the first time they’d teamed up in Montreal, when sat face to face, and she profiled him perfectly. Working together, suffering conflict and pain, until she’d finally realized that her beloved husband Tom was the real monster.

Red was hanging by a thread. His arousal for her intensified, and his erection pressed up against the zipper of his slacks. He longed to kiss her, to hold her in his arms, to touch every inch of her, devour her, love her until they couldn’t bear to be apart. But still, he waited.

“I do. Danger does strange things to people, Lizzie. Today we both came close to death. You watched me kill a man who dangled from my arms. You witnessed the shooting death of another and were close to being violated by those….” Red’s lip quivered as he recalled the scene with Solomon before Dembe came to their rescue. “By those men. It’s natural you’re feeling this way—“

Again, she interrupted him. “Stop it, Red!”

He was taken aback by her tone, pained and demanding at the same time. “For once just listen to me! I want you and I know you want me. Please don’t make me beg, please, Red.”

The ache in her voice wounded him. Surrendering the last shred of his control, he grabbed her arms and gathered her into his own. “Shhh, don’t cry, Lizzie, I can’t bear your tears.”

Then, without thought, his lips found hers, crushed and devoured her mouth, kissing her softness, meeting her heat with his own. He savored the erotic touch and taste of her mouth as they fell onto the cool silk sheets. Her arms locked around his neck and she opened her mouth, welcoming his tongue into her warmth.

Her kiss injected life into his tired, fractured heart. Her warmth seeped into his cold empty soul and her body was soft. Red allowed himself this tiny piece of Heaven. He was still fully dressed, but he needed to feel her skin, craved the heat of flesh next to his. Suddenly his clothes suffocated him. 

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, smiling when Lizzie’s disappointed groan followed suit.

“Lizzie, look at me.”

She met his gaze, a gaze filled with heat and seduction, a gaze that told him, to the core of his soul, that she felt as he did. 

“Yes,” her voice, breathless, sexy, drawing him in, rendering him powerless.

He cradled her face in his, his touch gentle, tender, filled with love and commitment. “Listen to me. I want you to know that once we do this, I will never let you go, do you understand? Never.”

She grabbed his hands and nodded, understanding clear in her dark blue depths. “You love me, I know you do. I think I’ve loved you for a long, long time. And I need now is for you to forgive me. I’m sorry for all the times I hurt you, left you, mistrust you. I beg your forgiveness Red.”

“My darling Lizzie, there’s nothing to forgive. I cannot fight my feelings for you any longer. Sweetheart, I love you.”

********

His words washed over Lizzie like a warm breeze. Without hesitation, she stood and lifted her t-shirt over her head and threw it to the floor. Red’s intense gaze traveled up and down her body, making her feel desirable and wanted. 

He sat still as stone, and she watched him swallow hard. He was attempting to keep his control, and she loved him for it. Slipping her thumbs in the elastic of her tiny lace panties, she slid them down her legs, off her feet, and kicked them away.

Only when she was completely naked, did he stand, come around the bed and stand before her.

He didn’t speak. Instead, his dumb struck expression was the same as the time he saw her after she colored her hair blonde. Lizzie felt her cheeks warm at the thought. “And I’m yours. I’ll always be yours. She nodded with a tiny grin, shattering him with her smile.

Still fully dressed from head to toe, minus his beloved fedora, Lizzie saw his beautiful fingers reach for his jacket.

“No,” she whispered. “Let me.”

He nodded but remained silent. Liz gave him a tiny smile, then proceeded to remove his suit jacket, vest, and crisp white shirt, after removing his gold monogrammed cuff links.

Leaving his undershirt on for the moment, she went for the soft leather belt of his silk slacks. How could she predict that over two years had passed since she first saw him, approached him as he sat cuffed to that chair in the post office.

With trembling hands, she unzipped his pants, tugging them open, then slid her hands beneath the fabric. Red’s firm erection strained against her touch.  
He moaned when her shaky fingers stroked his hardness, “Ah, Lizzie, I want you.”  
Not waiting for her to finish undressing him, Red kicked off his slacks, boxer/briefs, shoes and socks. He hesitated only a second, thinking of his back, then lifted his own undershirt over his head and threw it to the floor. Nothing was going to stop him from loving her, now that he had the chance. Nothing. He needed to be above her, around her… inside her.  
********  
Lizzie moaned with pleasure as his mouth crushed hers. She responded to his intimate action by deepening the kiss, circling that amazing tongue with her own. At the same time, she wrapped her arms around him, wanted nothing more than to feel him inside her.

Leading her to the bed, Red gently lowered her to the cool silk sheets, and Lizzie felt all of a sudden triumphant. It had taken her so long to realize that this man was everything to her. He’d given everything to protect her, keep her safe, but most of all, he’d loved her.

He made her feel things she thought she’d never experience again. She never wanted a man the way she wanted Red. As he settled himself above her, she boldly ran her hands over his back and then….she stopped.

His flesh was rigid, smooth in some spots, rough in others. Oh my God, she thought….scars. “Red…….”

He shook his head. “Lizzie, it’s nothing. Please, don’t stop. Touch me.” His eyes implored her to forget what her fingers had just found. His whisper sent tendrils of electricity through her, and she was rendered speechless as Red slipped his tongue deep inside her mouth once more.

She burned beneath the power in his hands as he caressed and kneaded her breasts. He lowered his mouth to her nipples, and circled one taut bud with his tongue. The slight scruff of his beard abraded her tender skin, making her moist with hunger for him. He tugged and toyed with each hardened peak until she was insane with want and squirmed beneath him.  
******  
He loved the play of the amber firelight dancing across her skin. He grasped one golden mound in each hand, rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, and enjoyed how they hardened into pebbled nubs under his ministrations.

Red lowered his mouth to one plump mound, and drew the tightened tip into his mouth, suckling and nibbling, and circling his tongue over each taut bud.  
When she whimpered from need, and gripped his head to hold him in place, Red chuckled softly against her soft skin.

Red burned for her, loved the way she ran her fingers over his scalp as he slid his hand down her belly loving her luscious, long legs and didn't have to try too hard to imagine how they would feel wrapped around his hips when he made love to her.

He slid his palm across her stomach to the V of her thighs, and held her gaze as he slid a finger into her moist heat.

Lizzie fell into his touch and sighed his name. She spread her thighs to give him deeper access.

"I want to taste you, Lizzie."

"Yes," she breathed.

His lips followed his hands, down her stomach, traced an erotic trail with his tongue past her navel to her most secret place. Then spread her slick, warm flesh and proceeded to stroked her with his tongue.

"Red, please."

"Please, what?"

"I'm going to come."

“That’s it, Lizzie. Let go, let it all go. I’m here to catch you.”

He suckled her clitoris until she cried out her orgasm, clinging and bucking beneath him. He lapped at her until her tremors calmed and she relaxed with satisfaction.  
His control was at its end. He rose above her, then pushed his hard length into hers. "Let me in, sweetheart, so I can love you."  
*********  
She needed him more than she needed to breathe. She shifted to accommodate his erection, long and hard, stretching her to the limit.  
Red reached out and threaded his fingers into her hair. “Are you alright?”  
She breathed. “Yes.”

“You’re sure?”

“Very sure.”

With gentle hands at the back of her neck, he pulled her to him, crushing his lips to hers.  
He kissed her deep and hard, barely allowing her breath. He liked to hear the small pants escaping her throat. He loved the sound of her voice, so aroused and on fire, as he was.

Another breath. “Love me.”

“I do,” he managed, his throat dry as sandpaper.

Her eyes locked onto his as he pulled out, then dove inside her once more. Deep. So deep he had to stop himself from losing all control or it would all be over too quickly. But it was too late to go slow. Once she clenched his hips, wrapped herself around him, pulled him tightly against her, Red unraveled.

He gripped her hips and stroked her. Harder and faster, he completely filled her, as his urgent need reached a heated pinnacle.

Her body clamped around his heat and the contractions of another orgasm spiraled him headlong into his own release. He roared in completion, then came with explosive intensity, fiercely straining into the very depths of her.

Her tiny cries of climax sent frissons of bliss through his heart.  
*******  
As Red gained a semblance of composure, he wrapped his arms around her, reluctant to leave the warmth of her body.  
Making love with Lizzie was such an incredible experience, tears filled his eyes. She’d demanded his soul, and he’d give it over to her again and again, just for the experience of loving her.  
“You okay?”

Lizzie smiled up at him, a lazy curve of her lips. “Mmmm.”

Red puffed out a tiny laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“More than okay. I feel…..”  
He nodded, kissed her on the nose, cheek, chin, then sighed. “Loved?”

“Safe.”  
“Me too,” he confessed. He took her hand in his, kissed her knuckles. “Life could become, well, complicated for us now. You have to know that your safety is paramount to me now, more than before.”  
Lizzie turned, kissing the dusting of hair on his chest. “I hope you’re not sending me back to Mr. Kaplan, because I’m never leaving you again.”  
“There’s an argument I’m going to lose,” he joked.

“Don’t even think about it,” she replied. “Red, about your back….”

“Tomorrow, okay?” His voice cracked, deep and low. “Lizzie, I have so much to say, but to be perfectly honest, you’ve exhausted me.”

She lifted a hand to caress his cheek. “Yes, my darling Red. We’ll talk later.” She burrowed closer into his warmth. “I love you,” she murmured, and Red realized she was fading. 

She met his lips once more, and they shared a heated, soul deep kiss before Lizzie closed her eyes, burrowed herself deeper into his arms. In moments, her even breathing told Red that she’d fallen asleep.

He gathered her tightly, never wanting to let go. In the space of one night, this woman had healed his heart and soothed his battered soul.

Red covered them both with the soft blankets without disturbing her. Arms locked around her, he kissed her tenderly, swept errant strands of hair from her brow, and let her sleep.

Watching her, he allowed himself to think of all the things she brought to his life, but most of all, most important, she was the light that had made its way through the dark cave to find and rescue him. 

She was with him. Loved him. Loved his ruined, chaotic life, in spite of all he’d put her through. He’d turned her life upside down, kept secrets he wasn’t able to divulge, not even to her. But no more. Tomorrow morning he’d begin to make it right. He had to. Because he wouldn’t get another chance. 

Starting with her parents. The fire. The Navy. Christmas Eve, 1990. All of it.

She’d open her heart, her body, her mind, to him. He owed her no less. She humbled him, rendered him powerless, and he’d spend the rest of his life making it right, for her, for him.

For them.

Elizabeth loved him. Him. 

“I failed you once, Lizzie,” he whispered, then kissed her tenderly. “I’ll never fail you again. I promise.”

Moments later, Red followed her into slumber, then slept deep and dreamless for the first since he was a boy.


End file.
